Beautiful Elections

What would make Minnesota elections beautiful?

Instead of overly sophisticated approaches leading to complexity which erodes trust, a beautiful voting system must be simple and transparent so every citizen can participate, understand, and verify the process—even 5th graders. At its core, voting means marking choices on paper and counting them openly. No elaborate technology is needed—only clarity, accessibility, and public oversight. To restore trust and ensure fair elections, immediate reforms are necessary.

The recommendations that follow blend principles found here with a focus on Minnesota amendments to current statutes with references to specific events in Minnesota history where relevant.

Voter Registration
Absentee Ballots
Election Day
Election Night
Reporting
Auditing

To make beautiful elections a reality, with every effort, make SINGLE-ISSUE bills with attractive names, then build allies within committee and larger legislature, invite testifiers, and notify citizens for attendance of hearings/discussion in person or by video conference.

Voter Registration

Creates regular registration period, detailed registration requirements, and a read-only digital list owned by the county (NOT by the Secretary of State). Further, restrictions are put on pre-registering minors.

Registration Period
- Voter registration shall occur every two years, with a maximum of four years before requiring re-registration.
- Registration shall be in-person at the county elections office.
Verification Requirements
- All registrants must provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship and Minnesota residency at the time of registration.
- Registration shall be conducted on a paper voter registration card, signed by the registrant and witnessed by an election official or designated notary.
- Registration records shall be stored by voting precinct.
Digital List for Transparency
- Each county shall provide a read-only standardized digital list of registered voters on their website.
- Statewide Voter Registration System is subservient to County lists (Amends Minn Stat § 201.022 as well as definition of SVRS in Minn Stat. § 200.02)
- Counties shall cross-reference their voter registration lists with all other counties to prevent duplicate registrations.
- Paper poll books for each precinct shall be generated from the registration cards prior to every election.
- A national unique voter number may be assigned to each voter for improved registration integrity.
No Same-Day Registration (Amends Minn. Stat. § 201.061)
- Voters must register at least 30 days before an election to be eligible to vote in that election.
- Election day registration is prohibited.
No Automatic Registration (Amends Minn. Stat. § 201.161)
- Automatic voter registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles, social service agencies, or any other government entity is prohibited.
- Registration must be initiated solely by the voter through in-person application.
No Pre-Registration for Minors (Amends Minn. Stat. § 201.071)
- Individuals under the age of 18 may not register to vote.
- Registration for 16- and 17-year-olds is prohibited, regardless of eligibility by election day.

Absentee and Mail Ballots

Reduces reliance on absentee and mail-in ballots. (There is no way to absolutely guarantee that the ballot received and tabulated is the same ballot that was sent by the voter, without violating ballot secrecy. This is why Absentee voting is so vulnerable—ref here.)

No Mail Only Precincts (Amends Minn. Stat § 204B.45) (see Collegeville for citizen action to reverse municipality decision)
No Automatic Permanent Absentee List (Amends Minn. Stat. § 203B.12, Subd. 9)
- Voters must apply for an absentee ballot in each election cycle.
- Permanent absentee status shall not be granted.
- Applications for absentee ballots must be submitted no earlier than 90 days before an election and must include proof of continued residency.
Verification of Absentee Ballots (Amends Minn. Stat. § 203B.121)
- All absentee ballots received shall be immediately entered into the statewide voter registration system for verification of voter records and voting history.
- Additional integrity mechanisms shall be implemented to ensure that each absentee ballot is accurately tracked and verified before being accepted for counting.
- Election officials shall conduct random audits of absentee ballot records to prevent fraudulent entries and maintain transparency.
Chain of Custody and Public Oversight
- Absentee ballots must be processed and counted under high-definition video surveillance.
- A detailed chain of custody log shall be maintained for each absentee ballot from the moment it is received until it is counted.
- Counties shall make all ballot images, tally sheets, and audit logs publicly available on their websites for verification by any citizen.
- Minnesota's absentee acceptance window shall start 14 days prior to Election Day and end 3 days prior to Election Day—any ballots received outside this window may not be accepted under any circumstances (Amends Minn Stat. § 201.091, Minn Stat. § 203B.06, Minn Stat. § 203B.081, Minn Stat. § 203B.22, Minn Stat. § 204B.13, Minn Stat. § 204B.35, Minn Stat. § 204B.45, Minn Stat. § 204D.09, Minn Stat. § 204D.16, Minn Stat. § 211B.045, Rules 8250.0200 AUDITOR'S DUTIES, Rules 8250.1810 FORMAT OF BALLOTS FOR OPTICAL SCAN SYSTEMS)

Election Day

Brings the focus of elections to a single, beautiful day using methods of voting that are difficult for cheaters to manipulate, such as in-person paper poll book verification and in-precinct voting on paper.

One-Day Voting Holiday (Amends Minn. Stat. § 204C.04)
- Election Day shall be a state holiday, ensuring all eligible voters have the opportunity to participate without work-related conflicts.
Precinct-Based Voting (Amends Minn. Stat. § 204B.14)
- All elections shall be conducted at designated precincts, with each precinct serving a maximum population of 1,500 voters.
Paper Poll Books and Verification (Amends Minn. Stat. § 204C.10)
- Voters must check in using paper poll books.
- Each voter shall sign a witnessed signature log upon arrival.
- Election officials shall cross-reference voter check-in information with previously filled-out voter registration cards to confirm eligibility.
Strict Ballot Security Measures (Amends Minn. Stat. § 204C.08)
- No early or late ballots shall be accepted.
- All ballots shall be paper-based and placed into translucent, locked containers.
- Election rooms shall be under continuous high-definition video surveillance to ensure transparency and security.

Election Night

Ensures public oversight is possible through high-definition video surveillance of counting and tallying, as well as produces a digital record for auditing post-election.

Ballot Acceptance and Processing (Amends Minn. Stat. § 204C.27 and § 203B.121)
- No ballots shall be accepted after polls close.
- At poll close, all ballots shall be batched and scanned to produce digital images for public review.
- No absentee ballots may be put through tabulator prior to polls closing. (Amends Minn Stat. § 203B.121)
Vote Tabulation (Amends Minn. Stat. § 204C.19)
- Votes shall be counted where cast under high-definition video surveillance.
- Bi-partisan election judges and citizen witnesses shall oversee the count using a state-approved hand tabulation method.
Public Reporting of Results (Amends Minn. Stat. § 204C.28)
- Election results shall be released immediately at the precinct level.
- A summary of results shall be posted on the outside of the polling place for public verification.

Reporting

By uploading data to a county website, the public immediately gains oversight and auditing capabilities that were before hidden and therefore impossible.

Immediate Public Posting of Results (Amends Minn. Stat. § 204C.31)
- Each precinct shall post signed precinct results on the outside of the polling place, ensuring public verification.
Comprehensive Election Record Accessibility (Amends Minn. Stat. § 201.091, Subd. 4)
- All ballot images, tally sheets, results pages, and chain of custody records shall be uploaded to the county website, grouped by precinct, for full transparency.
Election Transparency Agents (Amends Minn. Stat. § 204B.27)
- Election officials shall serve as Election Transparency Agents, ensuring all election records are publicly accessible and audit-ready.

Auditing

Auditing work is offloaded from computerized systems and election officials and becomes a civic duty for anyone who wants to be involved, including students.

Post-Election Review and Auditing (Amends Minn. Stat. § 206.89)
- If #2 below, Student Auditing Program, is not considered, then Post Election Reviews shall include any precincts that are desired (no maximum) based upon city, town, and county choice (see Local for post election review efforts and decisions in Anoka County, 2024)
Student Auditing Program
- High school students in grades 6-12 shall be engaged in election auditing activities as a civic education initiative.
- Students shall:
  - Review precinct ballots from the county website.
  - Re-tabulate ballots and compare results.
  - Submit discrepancies through a standardized reporting form on the county website.
  - Counties shall recognize and celebrate audit accuracy contributions.
Public Access to Audit Data (Amends Minn. Stat. § 204C.36)
- All election audit data shall be made publicly available on county election websites within 72 hours, including:
  - Ballot tabulation records
  - Ballot images (pictures of ballots) (Amends Chapter 13 of Minnesota Statutes)
  - Chain of custody logs
  - Cast vote record reports (if using technology which necessitates these—this is current process)
  - Statistical analysis reports
Election Transparency Agents (Amends Minn. Stat. § 206.895)
- Election officials shall act as Election Transparency Agents, ensuring all audits are publicly documented and accessible for review.
- Continuous monitoring shall be implemented to detect anomalies in voting patterns.

Further Considerations

To further decentralize and simplify what has become overly centralized and complicated, try:

Certification of elections (during canvassing meetings) cannot happen at county or state level until voter histories are complete (in 2020, the state was certified despite 700,000 more votes than voters according to MNSOS data on 11/29/2020, 5 days after MN State Canvassing Board, including Secretary of State Steve Simon, certifies state election)
1. Certifications are NOT ministerial (canvassing board members have option to choose to certify or delay certification by requesting additional information, such as answers to discrepancies found during audits)
Giving municipalities and counties the choice of whether to use electronic equipment or not—city or town choice trumps county, if there is difference (e.g. if county wants to use electronic poll books but city does not, city does not use electronics, but rather can opt for paper poll book; same for electronic tabulator) (Clarifies Minn Stat. § 201.225 and § 206.58)
Even in municipalities choosing electronic tabulation methods, the manual human hand count and tally under video surveillance is required (94th Legislature tried to make hand-counting on election day illegal by calling for immediate sealing of ballots upon poll closure)
Remove the rule-making authority of the MN Secretary of State and the Office of the Secretary of State from every instance in Minnesota Statutes—these rules often add gray area or carveouts like tax code carveouts creating windows of opportunity for cheaters; this aligns with the principle that the Secretary of State is the record keeper for state records, not rule-maker for elections
Make clear that county voter lists trump statewide voter registration system (SVRS) (Amends Minn Stat § 201.022 as well as definition of SVRS in Minn Stat. § 200.02)